Joe Higgins Signs EPSU Pledge to Defend Public Services

Joe Higgins is standing for the Dublin Constituency in the Euro Elections to be held on Friday, June 5th

Dublin Euro Election Candidate, Joe Higgins has signed a pledge from the European Federation of Public Service Unions on defending public services and public sector workers. Joe stands fully in defence of workers rights and public services. Workers and our services should not be made pay for the crisis caused by neoliberal governments, big business and the rich.

That is why Joe Higgins stands in opposition to the Lisbon Treaty, and all the EU Directives & ECJ judgements which help bosses to impose a “race to the bottom” and help governments impose charges, like water charges in schools. Joe Higgins believes that decent pay and public services are essential and that Europe must end it's reliance on the private sector Joe demands massive state investment to develop a strong economy that caters for people’s needs.

EPSU Public Service Pledge 2009

I, as a candidate for the European Parliament elections 2009, pledge the following;

Foundations for a positive attitude to public services

- I pledge to support horizontal legal provisions at EU level for public services. After over 10 years of delay, it is time for members of the Parliament to take action.

- I pledge that I will support an EU action programme on quality public services, based on the public service protocol agreed by the 27 EU governments in 2008.

- I pledge that a fair directive on working time, as reflected in the CERCAS report of 2005, will be passed by this parliament.

- I pledge that the European Parliament will actively support the system of European social dialogue and collective bargaining.

Foundations for Health

- I pledge to ensure that any European proposal on health services takes, as its departure point, the principles of solidarity, accessibility, affordability and universality. Articulating legal personality for these principles in the context of health services delivery remains one of the greatest challenges of the EU.

Foundations for Energy

- I pledge to support legislation that increases the democratic control of European energy regulators.

- I pledge that I will call for the Parliament to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the functioning of the electricity and gas market itself in 2010 with a focus on employment, investment, price for domestic users and sustainable development.

Foundations for Local Government

- I pledge to ensure that the evaluation procedure for Public Procurement is improved, to include social, as well as environmental provisions.

Foundations for National Administration

- I pledge that government workers will be given due respect for their role and that the full extent of EU law, they will not be excluded from any progressive legislation on working conditions.

Foundations for Water

- I pledge that the European Parliament will reiterate that water is a human right.

- I pledge that I will not support commercialisation and liberalisation of water services and the privatisation of water utilities.E

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